The 2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fifth-year head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini played their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 23–10, 15–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a two-way tie for the regular-season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were defeated by No. 9 seed Indiana in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the South Region, where they defeated Chattanooga in the First Round before losing to Houston in the Second Round.
Previous season In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Illini finished the 2020–21 season 24–7, 16–4 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They defeated Rutgers, Iowa, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Drexel in the First Round before being upset by No. 8-seeded Loyola–Chicago.
Offseason Illini big man Kofi Cockburn declared for the 2021 NBA draft, before ultimately withdrawing and entering the transfer portal. After considering offers from Kentucky and Florida State, he opted to return to Illinois.
Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes Zach Griffith 4 F 6'6" 220 Senior Fisher, IL Graduated Edgar Padilla Jr. 10 G 6'1" 165 Freshman Carolina, PR Transferred to Pensacola State Ayo Dosunmu 11 G 6'5" 200 Junior Chicago, IL Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 38th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls Giorgi Bezhanishvili 15 F 6'9" 245 Junior Rustavi, Georgia Undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft Tyler Underwood 32 G 6'2" 180 Graduate Student Champaign, IL Graduated Jermaine Hamlin 34 C 6'10" 235 Sophomore Lincoln, IL Transferred to Eastern Illinois Adam Miller 44 G 6'3" 180 Freshman Peoria, IL Transferred to LSU
Incoming transfers Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Omar Payne 4 F 6'10" 240 Junior Kissimmee, FL Florida Alfonso Plummer 11 G 6'1" 180 Graduate Student Fajardo, PR Utah
2021 recruiting class
Roster
Note: While Dain Dainja is listed on the Illini 2021-22 roster site, he is not listed in the 2021-22 record book. Jacob Grandison, while listed as a graduate student, is a redshirt senior for eligibility purposes.
Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style=""| Exhibition
!colspan=9 style=""| Regular season
!colspan=9 style=""| Big Ten tournament
!colspan=9 style=""| NCAA tournament
Source
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References